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paper scope did not address obesity coding (i.e., ICD or CPT) policies and their relationship to quality

measures. Obesity coding and quality measures are identified as an area for future research.

Policy Implications and Next Steps for Obesity Quality Measures

Considerable progress has been made in the development and implementation of quality

measures in clinical care and organizational performance, yet major gaps and limitations exist in the

context of obesity. Policymakers and payers in healthcare are invited to increase knowledge about the

science and understanding that obesity is a chronic disease that needs to be treated seriously. Chronic

diseases have coverage and payment for standards of care. Chronic diseases have quality measures that

incentivize appropriate clinical care. Obesity lacks these important elements and policies, resulting in

worsening disease severity and poor health outcomes.

The STOP Obesity Alliance convening will welcome stakeholders and government agencies to

discuss the current landscape of obesity quality efforts and explore next steps where work needs to

continue and/or start. Building a set of obesity quality measures that are focused on clinical care and

outcomes are actions to address the challenge at hand. The roundtable will identify where organizations

and stakeholders can come together to advance shared priorities in obesity quality to meaningfully

address this leading public health threat.

As a precedent, the diabetes quality improvement project demonstrated the value and

importance of stakeholder and government alignment for successful measure development and

implementation. With support from the Clinton Administration, this effort was founded jointly by CMS,

NCQA, and the American Diabetes Association with the goal to identify a strategy for developing a

comprehensive measurement set for diabetes care that would be broadly accepted and widely

implemented (Fleming, et al., 2001). This model of public and private sector organizations made up of

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